These days, catheters are tools that are used in hospitals throughout the nation. In fact, they are considered so safe by most of the medical community that most hospitals include catheterization in the general consent form that patients or the family of patients signs upon entrance. Instead of asking for specific consent to insert a catheter before doing so, a doctor will simply be able to decide that you need a catheter and to act on that decision.
If you end up in the hospital unable to drain your bladder because of some sort of obstruction in your urethra or for some other reason, the doctor may choose to use a regular catheter, which is just a thin rubber or plastic tube that is run up the urethra to the bladder. Once the catheter reaches the bladder, it will drain off any urine that is collected there, and it can then be removed.
People who end up in the hospital for a while, though, are more likely to be catheterized with an indwelling catheter. This type of catheter, which is also called a Foley catheter, can stay in the bladder for several days or even several weeks. The catheter has a balloon at the end which, when filled with sterile water, can hold the catheter in the bladder for an indefinite amount of time.
Foley catheters are used in many situations. They are, for instance, often used with patients who are too ill to get out of bed to used the restroom. In this case, they are simply a matter of convenience. Some patients are catheterized for diagnostic reasons, though. Doctors can use the amount or color of urine for many diagnostic purposes. If you’re catheterized while you’re in a hospital, you should ask about the reason for the catheterization; even though it’s safe, it’s good to know why, exactly, you’re being catheterized.